Books represent captured, frozen, language. As in spoken language. The author's complaint is really that language doesn't work for communicating knowledge and u

Books represent captured, frozen, language. As in spoken language. The author's complaint is really that language doesn't work for communicating knowledge and understanding. Unfortunately, the author's argument has two problems: first, that his definition of "work" is too narrow. No, reading a single book once, or listening to a single lecture, won't inform you or make you understand a broad, complex topic. Second, there isn't really an alternative; it's language or nothing. The bottom line is that the reader has to put in some work, too, which is the point of the author's suggestions at the end of the article.